Strangers
by AeonFrodo
Summary: Seven years changes people, to the point they barely recognise each other.


This fanfic was inspired by The Path That Vanishes. I had a lot of trouble getting inspired to write Strangers as a lot of other fic ideas came to mind, until today when I had a really terrible day and felt like writing this. I hope you enjoy this piece.

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**Disclaimer: Ace Attorney and all recognisable characters belong to Capcom.**

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**Strangers**

Today was the big day for Athena Cykes.

Her courtroom debut was a highly anticipated occasion. It was the beginning of her career as a defence attorney. She overcame her fears and studied hard to be standing in the defendant's lobby, just one room away from the courtroom itself.

But on the forefront of her mind was the prosecutor of the case, Simon Blackquill. A man known to harness psychology in a manner of making defendants falter to his power of suggestion. The rumours painted him as a hardened and ruthless prosecutor, completely different from the man Athena knew as a child.

She remembered looking up to a man who was kind and considerate. He was someone she could talk to when her mother was busy. Someone she could play with and show him pictures. But most importantly, he was there to reassure her that her mother loved her.

Yet, according to the law, he was a convicted killer, accused of murdering her mother. The rookie lawyer thought differently, as the echoes of the emotions in his voice still rang in her ears. She was certain the fallen prosecutor was innocent.

Apollo's voice broke through her grim thoughts, unaware that she outwardly expressing her anxiety. He also brought her back to reality. Athena Cykes' duty was to assist and learn from her more experienced co-worker, to defend the mayor of Tenma Town, Damian Tenma, of murder charges.

The opportunity to prove Simon Blackquill's innocence was going to come another day, Athena reminded herself. But for the time being, she had a job to do and valuable courtroom experience to gain for when that day comes.

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Today was a day of opportunity for Simon Blackquill.

He had the chance to prove himself redeemable, with the law and society as his witnesses. Detective Bobby Fulbright had long believed that convicted prosecutor still had some good in him, despite his reputation as the man who twisted and warped the law into its current state.

The very notion that he was able to prosecute again made him feel alive. Life as an inmate burdened him with many sleepless nights, hearing the horrific sounds of the prison complex frequently, almost driving him to insanity at one point. Sometimes, the only way he could rest was to cry himself to sleep, knowing full well he didn't belong in a lonesome cell.

Simon Blackquill knew the devastating reality of the crime he was convicted of. Deep in his heart, he concealed a lot of secrets of the crime he didn't commit. He knew he didn't execute his mentor, Metis Cykes. He knew he tampered the scene of the murder to indict himself. It was all to honour and protect his dead mentor's hard work and dedication. Her desire for her daughter to have an opportunity to live a normal and happy life.

Simon pushed that thought aside. Today wasn't the day to reflect on the past. Today, Simon Blackquill wasn't a criminal. He was a prosecutor. His job was to prove beyond doubt, that Mayor Damian Tenma was guilty of murdering Alderman Rex Kyubi. The chief prosecutor and the police force were relying on him and his expertise in psychological manipulation to disperse the myths and bring forth the truth.

The guards who escorted the convicted prosecutor reached the end of the hallway, using their free hands to push open the doors into the courtroom. The Twisted Samurai closed his eyes briefly, focusing his energy on removing his doubts and fears before stepping into court.

He opened his eyes, absorbing the atmosphere of his battlefield. All eyes were on him, the Twisted Samurai, the man who brought the Dark Age of the Law upon the legal world. He ignored those who were spectating in the gallery. His only concern was the centre stage, where the judge and his opponent were waiting for him to take his place.

However, a woman dressed in yellow stood out like a sore thumb. Simon couldn't believe it. It was the girl he protected seven years ago. But she wasn't the eleven year old girl he once knew. She was the young eighteen year old woman who was at the beginning her career as a lawyer.

He kept a flat expression while he was guided down the steps by the officers. He thought that all traces of his past were behind him and buried. And that his mentor's daughter would go on and live her life, the life that her mother wanted her to live to her fullest. Athena Cykes appeared to have other ideas.

Many questions buzzed in the prisoner's mind. Why would she return to the courtroom after all these years? Why did she become a lawyer? What did she do in the past seven years? But the million dollar question at the forefront of his mind was...

_Did she become a lawyer because of me?_

Simon lowered his head. Athena shouldn't be wasting her life away to save him. Yet, he was the one who gave her the opportunity to make that decision. It was his fault that she had blossomed into the woman standing on the opposite side of the courtroom.

The fallen prosecutor couldn't bear to gaze at the woman he created. Those electric blue eyes she possessed sparked full of life, which was more than he could stand. She was a different person from the reserved, shy girl he knew seven years ago. He turned around at the desk, reminiscing the eleven year old girl he once knew.

Athena couldn't believe that some of the rumours about Simon Blackquill were true. He was warped as the law itself. His skin was a sickly shade of pale, there were heavy bags under his eyes and his hair grew into a long unkempt mane, with one side of his dark fringe bleached white. The man she knew seven years ago was withering into a shadow of his former self.

The sound of the clinking shackles around his wrists was a reminder of why he became a distortion. The rookie lawyer felt it ring through her ears, almost bringing her back to the day of that horrible trial. Simon was full of life and had a promising career ahead of him. And that vanished once he was declared guilty of murder. She pulled herself out of that memory, knowing that illusion was not the reality she was met with today.

Athena could hardly see him as Simon Blackquill anymore. The prisoner had his humanity stripped and contorted into the main exhibit of the Dark Age of the Law. There was no warmth emanating from him. The cold sculpture was all that was left of the man she once knew.

Abruptly, a question from her co-worker broke the overpowering tension in the courtroom. _Who was the man with his back facing the defence? _She answered immediately, with certainty, until she had to label him. Pausing, she questioned her relationship with him. What was he, now that she'd seen what he become?

_Prosecutor Blackquill._

The young lawyer bit her tongue. She had reduced him to a stranger. A man she did not know as a child. A man that erased himself from her life. The man that murdered her mother.

Yes, that was what they were to the rest of the world. _Strangers_. Two people that had never met until today. Two people that were going to determine the innocence or guilt of the defendant.

Athena Cykes wished that reality was a lie. She wanted to reunite with Simon under happier circumstances. To catch up on the past seven years they were separated. But the world wasn't ready for that meeting.

Seven years had changed these individuals to the point where they barely recognised each other. Maybe it was best if they were strangers... _For the time being_.


End file.
